Premier Jacinta Allan courting Greens in last-ditch bid to save controversial new fire services levy
The Allan government is courting the Greens in an eleventh-hour bid to ram through its controversial new fire services tax ahead of next week's state budget, with the legislation at risk of being shelved once again.
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes was forced to take the proposed Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund off the agenda as parliament returned on Tuesday after failing to strike a deal with the crossbench.
The last minute battle to pass the new levy comes amid growing fury in regional Victoria and after fierys, farmers and local council members staged a protest against the increased tax outside the Victorian parliament on Friday, lining Spring St with dozens of rural fire trucks.
On Tuesday, hundreds of frustrated volunteer firefighters wearing Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria uniforms again gathered on the front steps of parliament in protest.
Signs held by the crowd read 'burn the levy, not our wallets' and 'Jacinta lies, using emergency services to fund blowout'.
One sign, handwritten on cardboard read 'scrap the tax, why rip me off when I volunteer and risk my life', while four fire trucks were parked out the front of the building.
Debate on the rate hike, which is expected to reel in an extra $2 billion from landholders, has now been pushed to Thursday.
The delay leaves just five days before Ms Symes' first budget as Treasurer, with the tax increase on households – which is expected to rake in an extra $600m in its first year alone – set to be written into the budget papers.
Ms Symes on Tuesday said she was 'confident' that the legislation would pass either 'this week or next' sitting week.
However, with the Coalition wanting the tax scrapped entirely, she has been forced to negotiate with the Greens who have a series of demands.
Greens Leader Ellen Sandell said the party was concerned the levy 'won't fully fund' emergency services and that farmers were already facing hardship due to droughts across large swathes of the state.
Ms Symes has guaranteed that '100 per cent' of the money raised by the new tax – which replaces the Fire Services Levy – will go to emergency services and volunteers.
The government, however, will need to negotiate and gain support from other crossbenchers to get it over the line.
Opposition Leader Brad Battin said Liberal MPs were opposed to the new tax and urged the Greens to not give in to backroom deals with the government.
'We all know that the Greens have done it before, where they go on and do a deal for something else to suit them, and, that would be very irresponsible on this particular occasion, because we known the impact is going to be on farmers across the state, on the food we put on our table and on every person who owns infrastructure across Victoria' he said.
Libertarian MP David Limbrick said the Greens were 'totally out of touch on this' and needed to speak with regional Victorians and ratepayers who 'cannot afford' more tax.
'What the government is imposing here is a new tax on every ratepayer in Victoria, and it's not good enough,' he said.
Shadow treasurer James Newbury said the government was going to have a 'big problem' on their hands if the Bill did not pass this week.
'Before the budget is even delivered there will be a $2 billion hole in the budget paper, which just goes to show that the budget papers, frankly, they're cooked,' he said.
Mr Newbury thanked the cross bench for delaying the proposed new levy, as he pleaded with them to 'do the right thing' and block the Bill.
The incoming levy, if passed, will hike rates for farmers by 189 per cent, meaning some will be paying tens of thousands in extra tax.
CFA volunteers, many of whom are fuming about the new tax, will however be able to access a rebate.
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